What is a super tiebreak in tennis, rules, points and how is it played?

2023 FRENCH OPEN

Many sports have a time limit, which means fans know how long it will take for an event to last. This is true in soccer, basketball, American football, and boxing, among others, give or take unexpected circumstances.

However, there are others, such as baseball or tennis, where the show only ends when there's a winner. But in the racquet sport, it may take several hours to see a victor proclaimed.

In the early 1950′s James H. Van Alen, an American benefactor and founder of the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino - the largest tennis museum in the world - proposed the tiebreak to resolve the issue of lengthy matches.

A super tiebreak is just like any other tiebreak in tennis, but it is played to 10 points instead of the usual seven. Due to this, super tiebreaks are also known as 10-point tiebreaks.

For men's singles, this occurs when there is a tie during the fifth set, and for women's and doubles for a tie in the third set.

Fifth set.Cerundolo was 0-40 on 4-3. Rune holds and breaks on 4-4.Cerundolo breaks again on 4-5.Cerundolo holds and it's 6-5.Rune holds again.Rune wins the super tiebreak 10-7 to reach back-to-back #RolandGarros quarter-finals. pic.twitter.com/7VtgQCHurf

Even though the tiebreak is played first to seven, it's officially referred to as a 12-point tiebreak because it is the best of 12 points won by two (7-5).

Winning this tiebreaker makes the game score of the set 7-6, and the player wins the set at seven games. However, long tiebreaks can still occur past 12 points if neither player can get a win by two points.

Technically, when a super tiebreaker is played during the final set, the previous order of service is maintained.

The first player or team to serve will serve the tiebreaker's first point. The opposing player or team will then serve the next two points. After this, each player or team will take turns serving two points until the super tiebreaker ends.

When it comes to scoring, points given during a super tiebreaker have the same weight as in a regular tiebreak. The first player or team who can get 10 points with a two-point lead wins the entire match. If there is a 10-point tie during a super tiebreak, the match will continue up until a two-point lead has been achieved.

Another special rule during super tiebreaks is when players can change ends of the court. Players or teams change ends after the first point. Then it happens every six points.

Roger Federer wins the super tiebreak against John Millman & clutches victory from the final point winning 6 points in a row when down 8-4 in what was a great 5 setter . @AustralianOpen @rogerfederer @johnmillman pic.twitter.com/JMrvXLqsDT

Another option for changing ends is to switch after the first point and then after every four points. This is more helpful for players especially when a tennis match is played outdoors and there are bad weather conditions.

In addition, rest breaks are not allowed during super tiebreaks. This is why players take the opportunity to drink water and recharge while changing ends.

Tournaments like the US Open and Wimbledon handled tiebreaks differently than regular-season games. But since March 2022, the governing body of the sport's most prestigious events (the Grand Slam Board) said all four tennis Grand Slams would use a super tiebreak (10-point tiebreak) in the final set on a trial basis, which started with the 2022 French Open.

A deciding-set 'super tiebreak' is set to be introduced at the Australian Open, meaning all four slams would have a different method of finishing deciding sets...Read more > https://t.co/uF6HCYTqfT pic.twitter.com/EDRCxVeoTS

Here's how the major tournaments handled the ‘sudden deaths’ till Roland Garros 2022: